


Hold On

by fandommatchmaker19



Series: Vicley - It's Written in the Stars [1]
Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 05:59:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17698952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandommatchmaker19/pseuds/fandommatchmaker19
Summary: She’s bleeding!I can’t find his pulse!“There was- Hughes was with Tanner for the PD ride along. It didn’t go very well. She’s alive, but she’s sustained multiple crush injuries-”Lucas can’t breathe.Prompt: Vic is on a ride along with Ryan. Things go bad and they end up hurt. Lucas and Andy are a mess.





	Hold On

**Author's Note:**

  * For [madnephelite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnephelite/gifts).



> This is 100% angst and a little bit of fluff. No character death, though, not that evil (snickers).  
> Hope you enjoy, this one took me a while  
> ❤️

Rays of sunlight shone through the beige curtains of their bedroom, and a slight breeze blew through the open window on a late spring morning. It’s early, the sun barely breaking through the horizon and the sky still has the dark blue-grey quality. Vic’s eyelids fluttered open and she blinked blearily, trying to rid the sleep from her eyes. Once she could finally focus on her surroundings, she finds her gaze drawn to a sleeping Lucas.

He’s lying on his side, facing her, but his eyes are closed and his face is relaxed, peaceful. His wavy blonde hair is tousled from sleep and from Vic running her fingers through it during the night. As she brushes her finger over his skin, drawing imaginary circles on his chest, Vic can’t help but notice how peaceful Lucas looks for the first time in weeks. The night before, he’d come home smelling of ash and smoke and he’d kissed her like he hadn’t before, intense and demanding and very un-Lucas, but she’d known that he’d needed that, so she’d kissed him back and let him have his way with her. Sometime past midnight, they’d fallen into bed together, hands wrapped around each other, her fingers exploring every inch of his skin, his fingers tangled in her hair, lips nipping, and sucking, and biting, and kissing her neck.

He has one arm slung over her waist and Vic’s body is pressed quite close to his, and she basks in the heat his body provides. She knows he was tired by the time they’d fallen asleep, so she doesn’t wake him. Instead, she watches him. Lucas looks peaceful except for the way his eyebrows are slightly scrunched together and Vic’s finger grazes his jaw gently. His hair is delightfully tousled and Vic desperately wants to run her fingers through it. And, then, his eyelids flutter open and he lazily blinks away any traces of sleep. He tugs her closer, and Vic smiles.

“Morning,” he greets her, voice husky from sleep.

“Good morning,” she whispers hoarsely, voice taking on that quality from sleep and long stretches of silence, before brushing her lips gently against his.  Lucas kisses her back, his hand skating up her back to rest at the back of her neck, fingers tangling in her bedhead-messy curls. Vic pressed herself closer to him, her own arm wrapping around his shoulders as she deepened the kiss. Electricity pulsed between their lips and her body sang, and there were thousands of fireworks exploding in her mind. She would never get tired of kissing Lucas.

When they pull away, breathless and panting, Lucas’ blue eyes meet hers and he gazes at her fondly.

“Were you watching me sleep?” he asked softly, bringing her hand up to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to her wrist. Vic hums in response.

“Maybe… I didn’t want to wake you, you looked so peaceful,” she replies smiling at him, and Lucas chuckles.

“Who knew you were such a romantic?” he quips, smirking lazily at her. A small burst of laughter bubbles out of her throat.

“Well, one of us has to be,” she retorts, wiggling her eyebrows at him. Lucas just laughs even more before wrapping his arms around her and pressing his lips to hers. She deepens the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as he rolls on top of her, making her squeal between fits of giggles. He nips at her neck and she tangles her fingers in his wavy hair as his arms settle firmly on either side of her head. She arches her hips slightly, legs tangling loosely with his, and he sets a rhythmic pace, resuming the activities from the night before.

* * *

The bedside alarm clock rings and Vic glances briefly, seeing 0700, and she springs apart from Lucas. Lucas, for his part, stares at her bewildered.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, eyes full of concern and a slight hint of fear.

“Yeah, sorry, I just have to get to work!” she exclaims, scrambling to get off of him. They’d been going at it for the past hour or so, and up until them, neither of them was anywhere close to stopping. Lucas rolls over, propping himself on his elbows as Vic races to the shower. “I have a thing today!” she calls out from inside the bathroom. Rolling his eyes, Lucas follows behind his girlfriend to the ensuite bathroom.

“Babe, your shift doesn’t start for another two hours, let’s go back to doing what we were before the alarm rang. By the way, why _did_ our alarm ring at 0700?” Lucas protests as Vic brushes her teeth.

Spitting out the toothpaste, she turns to her boyfriend, “it’s my turn for the PD ride along, so I have to get there earlier,” she explains before jumping in the shower. Lucas follows after her. “What are you doing? I’m in a hurry,” she asks bluntly, but he simply pushes her aside and gets in the shower along with her.

“Helping you,” he answers easily, turning on the water.

“Nice try, but no,” she retorts just as Lucas wraps his arms around her, pressing his lips to her throat and biting lightly. “Luke…” Vic protests, turning away and grabbing a handful of soap.

“Wear your hair down,” he quips before trailing open-mouth kisses along her throat and jaw.

“Um, no, I can’t. It’s inconvenient-” she starts arguing, but Lucas just cuts her off by kissing her. She responds immediately, deepening the kiss and bringing her hands up, wrapping them around his neck and smearing soap all over his back. Pulling slightly away, Lucas settles his own hands on her hips, hoisting her up, her back pressed against the slippery wall of the shower as Vic wraps her legs loosely around his waist. Her hands are slippery and she digs her nails slightly in his back as Lucas meets her lips for another kiss, heated and intense and slippery, lips tasting of soap, and she lets out a low moan in the back of her throat.

* * *

 “Hughes, you’re late!” Sullivan bellows as she enters the station.

“Sorry, Captain,” she grumbles. “I overslept,” she says, but Sullivan looks unimpressed.

“Right,” he says, rolling his eyes. “You have five minutes before your ride’s here, hurry up!” he yells as Vic jogs to the locker room.

But, just as she enters the locker room, Vic feels her stomach lurching and the urge to vomit. She drops her bag and rushes to the bathroom where she throws up her entire breakfast. She sighed. This had been a common occurrence the past week or so. At first, she pegged it down to a stomach bug, but it had been continuing for a while, usually as soon as she gets to the station. And, yesterday she’d noticed that she’d missed her period by a week. _This cannot be happening,_ she thinks. She’d only moved in with Lucas a month ago and now she was pregnant. Sure, they didn’t use condoms anymore, but she was on birth control. _I just have to be that 1%._ Sighing, Vic rushes out of the bathroom after flushing and grabs the five pregnancy tests from the back of her locker where she’d been hiding them underneath piles of dirty clothes, then her toothbrush and toothpaste. Entering the bathroom, she locks the door before setting the toothbrush and toothpaste on the counter. She takes all five tests sets them on the counter, then starts brushing her teeth. Once that’s done, she changes in her uniform and re-braids her hair. Her phone alarm rings and Vic rushes to the counter, fear gripping her. _This is it. I’m so screwed._ And, then she looks at the five tests. Positive. Every single one of them is positive. Vic feels sick and she hovers in front of the toilet for a second before collecting the five tests and her toiletries and leaving the bathroom. She dumps everything at the back of her locker, grabs her uniform jacket and leaves the locker room.

“Hughes!” Sullivan hollers from downstairs. “Get your ass downstairs! Your ride’s here!”

Vic rolls her eyes before racing downstairs where Sullivan is glaring daggers in the side of Tanner’s head.

“Play nice,” she says, smirking at him. Sullivan rolls his eyes and raises one eyebrow. “Sir.”

“You’re lucky Rip’s my best friend,” he comments, scowling.

“I know.”

“Okay, be nice, listen to him and don’t do anything stupid,” Sullivan orders. Vic mock salutes him. “I mean it, Hughes.”

“Yes, sir!” she says before joining Tanner. “Bye!”

“Hey, Vic,” Ryan greets her, smirking at Sullivan.

“Hey, Tanner,” she greets him, smiling at him. “What’s new?”

“Oh, nothing much,” he says before leading her to his squad car and leaving behind a still scowling Sullivan. Vic waves in his direction, but Sullivan just shakes his head. 

“He doesn’t look happy,” Ryan comments as they enter the car.

Vic gets in and moves to play the radio. “Well, you did steal his girlfriend,” Vic quips teasingly, giving Ryan one of her signature witty smiles.

“She chose me,” Ryan defends as he starts the car in reverse. Vic rolls her eyes before turning the volume up.

“Um, what are you doing?” Tanner asks curiously.

“Turning the volume up?” Vic replies in an obvious tone.

“This is a ride along. It’s work. You’re acting like you’re on a fieldtrip,” Ryan remarks, but Vic just rolls her eyes.

“Eyes on the road, Tanner!”

“Oh, shut up!”

* * *

He can’t get her out of his head all day. The feel of her pressed against the shower wall, nails digging in his back, legs wrapped loosely around his waist, hips arched slightly. The soft moans she let out as he thrust rhythmically inside of her-

Lucas drags his hand across his face and takes a sip of his coffee. He should stop thinking about Victoria and their activities from the night before and that morning, but he can’t quite help himself, stuck in meetings and doing paperwork.

It’s middle of the day and he’s in his office, doing some paperwork before the five meetings in his afternoon when his personal phone rings. His personal phone rarely rings while he’s at work, usually Victoria or someone in his family. He grabs it from the edge of the desk and his eyes widen when he sees the name on the Caller ID. It’s Sully. Sullivan only calls him on his personal phone out of work hours, so Lucas picks up immediately.

“Sully!” he greets, leaning back in his chair. “What can I do for you?”

“Rip, h- hhey,” Sullivan chokes out and Lucas is immediately alarmed. “You at the office?”

“Yes. Sully, is everything all right?”

“Y- no-”

“What happened?”

“Are you sitting down?” Sullivan asks and Lucas can feel the color drain from his face. He can hear yelling on Sullivan’s end and he grips his pencil so hard it breaks.

_She’s bleeding!_

_I can’t find his pulse!_

_Somebody get Herrera out of here!_

“Sullivan!” Lucas snaps. “What the hell is going on?” he asks more calmly this time.

“There was- Hughes was with Tanner for the PD ride along. It didn’t go very well. She’s alive, but she’s sustained multiple crush injuries-”

Lucas can’t breathe. His breath hitches in his throat and he can’t breathe.

“We’re taking them to Grey Sloan,” Sullivan says then before there’s a commotion. Then, crying.

_V-tach! Warren, get me those paddles!_

_Charge to 200._

_Clear._

_Charge to 300._

_Clear._

_Charge to 360!_

_Clear._

Lucas hangs up. He can’t – won’t – think of who was in V-tach. Instead, he gets up and grabs his jacket, keys, phones and rushes out.

“Chief!” Penny, his assistant, immediately rushes out, but he can barely look at her.

“Cancel all my meetings and tell Frankel to be on call in case of any major fires,” he orders brusquely, voice devoid of emotion.

“Sir?” Penny asks immediately coming to stand beside him. “Is everything all right?”

“No. I need to go to Grey Sloan. I’ll call you if I need something,” he says as he puts his jacket on while walking – nearly running – downstairs. Penny struggles to keep up with him.

“Sir? What happened?”

He turns around so fast he almost knocks Penny down.

“Penny, stop asking so many questions!” he snaps, all but yelling, and Penny, who had never seen him yell, flinches.

“I’m sorry,” she says.

“It’s Victoria,” he chokes out before he rushes to the garage where he keeps his car, leaving a stunned Penny.

He drives to Grey Sloan almost blindly, going way over the speed limit, but nobody stops him. He parks in the visitor’s lot and runs out breathless, chest burning. He enters the ER and finds the entire crew of 19 crowded in front of the trauma rooms while a resident is trying to get them to go to the waiting room. Herrera is in tears and Bishop and Gibson are trying to comfort her to no avail, Montgomery’s eyes are puffy and red, Warren’s uniform is covered in blood, Miller has one arm wrapped around Sullivan’s who looks like he might punch something – or, someone.

“Chief!” the entire team choruses when they spot him.

“Where is she?” he demands, voice breaking, skipping any pleasantries.

“She’s in Trauma Room 2. They’re still working on her. She went into V-tach at the scene and coded once en route, but we managed to bring her back,” Gibson recites, the only one looking relatively calm. He steps slightly in front of Lucas, his expression firm, as if to keep Lucas from bursting into the trauma room.

“We should- we should move,” Sullivan says, breaking Lucas’ concentration and the rest of them inch away from the trauma room, though they make no effort to go to the waiting room. Then, the doors to Trauma 2 burst open, and a team of surgeons rush out pushing a gurney, one of them sitting on top, doing chest compressions. They’re yelling at each other, ordering nurses and junior doctors, but it’s all a buzz to him. Because on the gurney is a pale looking Victoria and Lucas feels sick to his stomach. Her hair had come out of the braids she’s put it in earlier and her face is covered in cuts and bruises, eyes closed, but it looks peaceful. Lucas itches to walk over to her and run his finger along her jawline, press a kiss to her soft lips. He’s not aware he’s moving until he’s standing inches away from her, hand reaching to brush hair from her face, to feel the warmth of her skin, but several sets of arms wrap around his, pulling him away.

“Victoria!” he manages to choke out, eyes trained on her face because he can’t – won’t – look anywhere else, see the damage.

One of the doctors, a blonde with wavy hair, turns to one of the nurses and yells, “her abdomen’s rigid and distended, page Bailey!”

“I’m here!” Dr. Bailey yells, appearing out of thin air, though Lucas soon realizes she’d just been in the other trauma room. But, before rushing after the Victoria and the team of doctors trying to save her life, she stops in front of him. They’d only met a handful of times at the hospital and once for drinks with the entire station, but Lucas is comforted to see a familiar face.

“She’s gonna be fine. Listen to me, Ripley,” she says, voice gentle but urging and Lucas manages to refocus his gaze on her. “Look, we’ve got a badass team of doctors who are gonna do anything in their power to save her, all right?”

“Y- yyou can’t let her die,” Lucas chokes out, tears pooling in his eyes.

“I’m gonna try my damn best not to,” Bailey says, squeezing his arm before running after the doctors, sparing Warren a fond glance as she goes.

And, then, Lucas hears an agonized yell and he turns to see Herrera crumble right in front of him as doctors roll a gurney with a limp, bleeding Tanner on top of it. Lucas can only watch as Sullivan rushes towards her, wrapping his arms around her and sinking beside her, murmuring words of comfort. He didn’t know many details about Andy and Sullivan’s break up, but he’d heard that work had something to do with it, and well, Ryan Tanner also did, so he doesn’t say anything. Instead he just sort of freezes, staring at Andy and Sullivan and the rest of the team of 19. And, then, he turns around and leaves because he needs to get out of there. Because he thinks that Warren has Vic’s blood on his uniform and he can’t meet Montgomery’s heartbroken gaze and Vic- Vic could die. And, he can’t face that.

He wonders aimlessly across the halls of the hospital, stopping finally in front of the chapel. Lucas isn’t a particularly religious man, though both of his previous weddings were in big churches and he goes to church with his family at Christmas and Easter, but he just enters. It’s a small chapel, and it’s quiet and peaceful, and Lucas just wonders in. There’s no one else and he sits down in one of the pews, letting his head fall between his knees. His fingers grip at his hair, pulling none too gently as tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He lets out a shuddering breath, and finally lets the tears fall, as the reality of the situation sinks in.

It’s probably only minutes, but it feels like hours when he hears a noise. He looks up, and through tear-filled eyes sees Montgomery enter the small chapel, making the cross sign. At first, the other man doesn’t notice him, but as he nears him, his eyes widen slightly in surprise. Lucas notices that Montgomery looks like a wreck, his eyes red and puffy with tears.

“Chief,” Montgomery greets, voice neutral, trying to mask his anguish.

“Montgomery,” Lucas chokes out, looking up at the younger man. He’d only seen him look this wrecked once before and he doesn’t want to think or look at him if the outcome ends up being the same. Travis glances at the space in the pew beside him and Lucas nods. “Any- any news?” Lucas asks as Travis slides in and meets his gaze.  

“She’s still in surgery. She’s got a fractured tibia and bleeding in her abdomen that they’re fixing, but there wasn’t anything else the doctors could say when they gave us the update,” Travis says weakly. 

“Montgomery?” Lucas asks. “Is anything else wrong?”

“It’s just… we don’t even know anything about Tanner. And, Vic… Vic’s my best friend. I can’t- I won’t lose her,” Travis says, voice breaking on the last word. Lucas runs a haphazard hand through his hair.

“I know, Montgomery. I know. I can’t lose her either. I love her,” Lucas says softly.

“I know. I didn’t see it at first, you know? I didn’t like it either. But, Vic was happy, so I just… let you guys be. But, I see it now. And, I just… I lost my husband. And, that was horrible. Losing Vic- losing Vic would be horrible for me. It would hurt like hell. But, for you? I wouldn’t wish what I felt when Michael died on anyone else, least of all you.”

Lucas nods in understanding and gratitude. Lucas had never known what it felt like to lose his spouse or significant other. But, Travis had. And, Sullivan had too. And, Lucas had blamed himself for both of those loses. He blamed himself for promoting an inexperienced captain that had made a call resulting in the death of Travis’ husband and his friend. And, he blamed himself for not saving Claire Sullivan.

“Thank you, Travis,” he says softly, wiping his eyes unashamedly. Travis nods, and he, too, wipes a few stray tears. “I- II don’t know why I came in here,” he blurts out and feels an ache in his chest because Vic’s the one who usually just blurts things out. He’s the sensible one. The one who overthinks everything he says. But, he doesn’t feel like he can think at the moment.

“It’s quiet, peaceful,” Travis says, voice full of understanding. “It’s not the waiting room. It’s not the hospital where people are constantly dying. I couldn’t stand being in that damn waiting room when Michael was in surgery after he…” Travis trails off, wiping away more tears.

“You’re right,” Lucas nods, trying to flash Travis one of his quick smiles, but fails. Travis lays a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“She’s gonna be okay. She has to. I mean, this is Victoria Hughes we’re talking about. She dragged me down dozens of stairs at the skyscraper. She beat her fear of fire. She’s gonna be okay,” Travis says and Lucas just nods numbly.

* * *

It’s hours later when Lucas and Travis both look up at the sound of someone entering the chapel and find that it’s Maya Bishop.

“Ah, there you two are. Andy’s crying her eyes out in a supply closet, Miller’s on snack duty, Sullivan went for a walk and Gibson’s well, uh, he’s in the closet with Andy.” The way Travis raises an eyebrow doesn’t go unnoticed by Lucas, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Any news, Bishop?” Lucas asks, looking up at the blonde whose eyes are rimmed red with tears. Bishop lets out a long sigh. Lucas’ breath hitches in his throat.

“Um, Tanner’s still in surgery, no news yet. But, Vic, um, Vic’s out of surgery.” Lucas lets out the breath he’d been holding and gestures for Bishop to continue. “She’s got- well, I’m not sure, Warren or Dr. Bailey will explain, but she’s okay. They fixed her leg and removed her spleen to stop the bleeding and are monitoring her minor brain bleed closely post-op. She’s also got several lacerations they’ve had to stich up and they had to decompress her spine, but otherwise she’s… uh… she’s fine. She’s gonna make it. I mean, the doctor said it all depends on the next 24 hours, but they’re hopeful,” Maya recites, back ramrod straight, though her shoulders are a little slumped.

“Oh, thank God,” Travis says, lowering his head for a moment. Lucas sighs. Letting his emotions show around Travis was easier; Travis was Vic’s best friend and Michael had been a rookie when Lucas himself had been captain. Lucas had been there the night Michael died. But, in front of Bishop- Lucas can’t. “C- ccan we see her?” he asks, voicing Lucas’ thoughts.

“Yeah,” Bishop replies, nodding. Travis stands up and Lucas follows as Bishop leads the way to the ICU. The team is assembled in front of the ICU, Warren’s trying to explain what’s going on while Dr. Bailey is standing in front of a set of doors. Dr. Bailey motions for Lucas and Travis while Bishop just joins the rest of the team.

“All right, she’s still unconscious because we’re still keeping her sedated, so her body can heal. She had a lot of internal bleeding, so we had to remove her spleen and we managed to stop the bleeding. We also had to fix her fractured tibia with screws and she’ll need physical therapy for that. She’s got a minor brain bleed, but our Head of Neuro didn’t want to perform surgery yet as it might resolve by itself. We’ll see. If it worsens, they’ll take her to surgery again.” Dr. Bailey’s voice is calm, yet detached, with a tiny bit of emotion in it. Then, more gently, she continues, “you can go in and see her.”

They enter and Lucas lets Travis have a few minutes with her, settling for just holding Vic’s hand. He watches Vic’s face, peaceful and unhurt but for a few minor lacerations on her forehead.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Travis says after a few minutes, clapping Lucas on the back and squeezing Vic’s hand. And, Lucas is left alone with her. The room is silent but for his silent sobs and the beeping of Vic’s machines. Vic is still unconscious, but Lucas can’t help watching her. She looks so peaceful, and he remembers the comment from earlier that morning and his heart aches. It seems like forever ago that they’d flirted in bed and had hot shower sex which had made her late, but she didn’t complain. Lucas wishes Vic hadn’t gone to work, or that he hadn’t approved the PD ride alongs Sullivan suggested months ago. She wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed if he hadn’t.

“Damnit,” he curses silently as a few more stray tears fall down his cheeks and he wipes them away.

The door to her room opens, but Lucas doesn’t look up. He feels a hand on his shoulder – Sullivan’s – but doesn’t say anything.

“Rip,” Sullivan says softly. Lucas had known Sullivan for decades, since the academy, and Sullivan wasn’t a soft man. Especially after Claire. But, now Sullivan was speaking to him in a soft, gentle voice as if afraid he might break. “Look, man, the doctors said she’d be sedated for a while. Maybe you should take a walk,” he suggests, but Lucas shakes his head.

“I’m fine here,” he says and Sullivan heaves a sigh.

“Look, man-”

“I should’ve never approved those PD ride alongs-” Lucas cuts him off.

“Are you blaming me?”

“No. This was _my_ fault. You implemented them in your station, but I- I fucked up. I signed off on them. I made them part of our training. I should’ve-” he says and he can feel more tears forming in his eyes.

“No, it’s not. FD and PD have been working side by side for years but always separate. The ride along idea wasn’t even mine in the first place. I’ve heard of it before. We did it in Montana and it’s been a statewide thing in a few other states as well. When I got here and saw how FD and PD don’t cooperate I thought to try it. We did. It went well, so I approved it for 19. Making it a department wide project was a good idea, Rip. We couldn’t have known that Hughes or Tanner would get hurt today. They weren’t supposed to have been anywhere close to that shooting that resulted in the other car crashing into Tanner’s squad car,” Sullivan defends, voice firm and calm. “Be reasonable, Rip,” he adds for good measure, giving Lucas another pat on the back.

“She’s my girlfriend, Sully. I’m in love with her. And, I made a decision that could cost her her life. How do I live with that?”

“I don’t know, Luke,” Sullivan says honestly, clapping Lucas on the back. “Are you sure you don’t want to go take a walk? Montgomery or Bishop can stay with her. You need to clear your head, man,” his friend tries, but Lucas shakes his head. 

“Just go, Sully, please. I just want to be here,” he says. His words are harsh, but he tries to keep his tone even and Sullivan nods, leaving him alone. Lucas takes Vic’s hand between his own and presses a kiss to her wrist.

It’s a while later before the door to Vic’s room opens again. This time it’s Warren.

“How is she?” the pro-rookie asks before picking up her chart.

“Still sedated. No change,” Lucas replies curtly. At one point he had felt… there may have been a slight- Lucas shakes his head.

“You need something, sir?” Warren asks as he closes Vic’s chart.

“No, thanks.”

“All right.”

Warren is almost at the door when he pauses.

“Sir?”

“Yeah?” Lucas replies weakly.

“She’s gonna be fine. She’s resilient,” Warren says, voice sure. Lucas nods gratefully and watches Warren as he leaves.

He finds out later that Tanner also made it through his surgery, though he will have months of recovery and they don’t even know if he will fully be himself when he wakes up. A resident named Dr. DeLuca drops by, checking in on Vic before glancing curiously at Lucas. But, he doesn’t say anything and leaves. Gibson leaves with Miller to get back to the station and finish their shift, though they’d had a few people from B-shift cover them. Sullivan gives them all time off for the next few days and stays a while longer to make sure Lucas is okay, but Lucas eventually gets him to leave with much protest. Travis stays a while longer and so does Warren before Dr. Bailey drags him home much to his dismay. Lucas watches them fondly as they leave, holding hands and wishes he could do that with Victoria soon. Bishop stays with Herrera, but Herrera sends her home and Lucas manages to send Travis home as well, promising to call him with any updates. And, then, it’s just Herrera and Lucas. Herrera comes in Vic’s room and sits there, holding Vic’s hand for a while before going to Tanner’s room.

* * *

Four days. Ninety-six hours. Five thousand seven hundred and sixty minutes.

That is how long it had been since the accident. Lucas had only gone home that first night to change after being forced by Sullivan who had come to check in. And, then he’d been at the hospital for the next two days before going home again for no more than half an hour to change. The team visited and stayed as long as they could. But, often it was just Lucas and Herrera in the waiting room. The lieutenant hadn’t left since that first night either.

At the moment, the waiting room was empty as everyone had just left and Lucas was in Vic’s room, holding Vic’s hand between his own. Herrera was either in Tanner’s room or in the waiting room, but Lucas wasn’t really paying attention. The doctors had told him he could talk to her, and that talking to her might help, but Lucas didn’t know what he’d say. He wasn’t the type of person to share his feelings and it had taken a while to be able to do it with Victoria, and now she was lying in a hospital bed surrounded by tubes and wires.

Taking in a deep breath, he ran his thumb along her jaw, gently stroking her cheek.

“Wake up,” he muttered softly before pressing a soft kiss to Vic’s wrist. “They… I uh… the doctors say that you can probably hear me. That I should talk to you. Talking might help. But, I don’t- I don’t know, Victoria. I don’t know what to say. I miss you. Please wake up. Come back to me, ‘Toria, please. I don’t- I haven’t- I can’t think of a world without you. You’re my world and I just… Just wake up, darling. Please. Just wake up. Come back to me,” he whispered brokenly, a few stray tears falling down his cheeks.

“Chief?” a voice interrupts his thoughts and Lucas soon registers its Herrera’s. He wipes away his tears and looks up to find the lieutenant leaning against the door of Vic’s room.

“Yeah?” Lucas asks, voice hoarse from the long stretches of silence.

“You want to grab something from the cafeteria?” she asks nervously.

Lucas doesn’t answer immediately and wishes that the Chief was still there. Because the Chief would look at the situation logically and follow Herrera to the cafeteria. But, the part of him that was Chief had somehow disappeared since he received Sullivan’s phone call three days ago. Instead, the part of him that was Lucas had frozen in his mind, replaying the phone call on repeat, Sullivan’s words telling him Vic was hurt, Vic pale and lifeless on the gurney, Vic surrounded by wires in the hospital room. And, Lucas wants to stay with Victoria until she wakes up.

“I’m fine here,” he shrugs and Herrera raises an eyebrow.

“Ripley… you need to eat something. It’s been four days since she’s been here, and you haven’t eaten in hours since you came back from home. She’s okay. They’re keeping her sedated so she can heal better, but she’s okay. The nurses can watch her,” Andy’s voice is soft and gentle as she looks him in the eye.

“I can keep an eye on her,” Dr. DeLuca’s voice comes through and Lucas glances away from Andy’s puffy red eyes to see the resident leaning against the doorway. He pauses for a second before continuing, “actually, we were going to take her in for another head CT to see if her brain bleed has slowed or stopped. Her heartrate and ICP have improved, but we’d just like to make sure,” DeLuca explains, voice calm, yet slightly urging. Lucas lowers his head for a second before standing up and leaning over to press a light kiss to Vic’s forehead. He can see that this is not a fight he can win and he doesn’t want to fight.

“All right, I’ll go. Just, um, will you- will you let me know?” he asks and he immediately hates how small and scared his voice sounds.

“Of course,” DeLuca nods.

Andy leads the way and they pass by Tanner’s room. Lucas sneaks a glance inside and inhales sharply. He’d seen Tanner a few times, but hadn’t actually realized how badly he was doing. Tears spring in Herrera’s eyes though she tries to hide it. But, Lucas sees them and sees the look of anguish in her eyes because it’s the same look he sees in his own eyes when he looks in the mirror. So, gently and ever so slowly, he reaches over with his hand and rests it on the lieutenant’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Herrera,” he says softly and she nods before moving away, and in the direction of the cafeteria.

Lucas quickens his pace slightly to keep up with her and follows her wordlessly until they reach the cafeteria. The two grab some food and settle at a table, Herrera picking at a salad while Lucas tries to eat the sandwich in front of him. It’s silent between them and Lucas feels like he should say something because they’re in the same boat. The people they care about the most – he didn’t know what Herrera felt for Tanner – were lying in hospital beds, fighting for their lives and Lucas can feel his breath hitch just at the thought of either of them losing that fight.

Sitting in front of him like she is, hair a mess, eyes red and puffy from tears, Herrera looks younger than she is; almost childlike. Andrea Herrera, he knows, is a bit of a force to be reckoned with. She lost her mother when she was a child and had taken on the position of being the woman of the house since then, taking care of her dad. Even after she became a firefighter and joined station 19, she still took care of her dad. As Chief, Lucas had of course known that Pruitt Herrera never did much paperwork as most of it was filled by his daughter. Pruitt’s lieutenant Gibson wasn’t much help back then, and the grunt work was left to an underappreciated Andrea Herrera who had once hopped on a plane to bring her dad home from the twin towers on 9/11 when she was nine. And, as interim – sometimes – captain of 19, it was Andrea Herrera who did the paperwork and looked after the station in her dad’s absence. So, Lucas knew that the young woman and one of Vic’s best friends had grown and matured too fast. It was for those reasons and many others that Lucas, and the rest of the Fire Department, had chosen her to be captain of station 19. Until the skyscraper fire when Lucas had seen that sometimes she got overly emotional and reckless and wasn’t ready for the job.

Before Lucas can say something, though, Herrera decides to break the silence.

“Does it feel like your world is falling apart?” she asks, sniffling, not quite meeting his gaze. “C- ccause it feels like mine is. It feels like nothing makes sense cause Ryan’s lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life. Does it feel like that because of Vic-” Lucas can see that Herrera is having a panic attack. A very controlled one. Lucas can see how tightly she’s gripping the edge of the cafeteria table and the wildness in her eyes. His hand reaches out and takes hers, loosening the grip she has on the table between them, in a gesture of comfort.

“Herrera,” he says, cutting off her quiet ramblings before pausing. Then, softly, he adds, “Andy, breathe. It’s all right. They’re both fine for now.”

But, the lieutenant doesn’t seem at all comforted, though she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a few seconds before meeting his gaze, eyes filled with tears. “I feel like… when my mom died nothing made sense. How could I go on without my mom? But, I learned to cope. I learned to look after my dad and that was the single thing I had left from her because she asked me to always look after him. A world without my mom was a world that was tilted on its axis. Then, when my dad almost died- when he collapsed in that fire- I couldn’t breathe cause all I had was him. And, his cancer… that was hard. Very hard. But, Ryan… Ryan’s my best friend. He’s lived across the street from me basically our whole lives. He’s the guy who stole his dad’s credit card, so I could buy a plane ticket to get my dad to come back home on 9/11. He’s the guy who didn’t want me to become a firefighter ‘cause that would take me away from him. He’s the guy who’s been there for me my whole life. He’s my best friend. And, the guy I love. And, he’s Ryan. And, I just… it feels like my world’s falling apart because I don’t know when he’s gonna wake up-”

“Just breathe,” Lucas coaches, squeezing her hand in comfort. And, then, he takes a deep breath himself before continuing. “I… she’s my world. And, I can’t – I won’t – think of what would- I can’t, I’m sorry, Herrera. I hope that Tanner pulls through, but I- it might be selfish, but all I can think about is Victoria,” he says, voice shaky, breaking on her name. He winces at how broken and helpless he sounds, but Herrera doesn’t comment.

“It’s okay, Ripley. I understand. Vic’s one of my best friends, I get it,” Andy says, calmer this time, giving him a small smile. Lucas can’t quite bring himself to do it, but he tries flashing her a quick smile and fails. But, before either of them can add something else, Dr. DeLuca approaches them.

“DeLuca,” Andy chokes out, standing up quickly, almost too quickly. Lucas grips her arm, steadying her before meeting DeLuca’s gaze. He takes a deep breath

“Sorry, Andy, but Ryan’s condition is unchanged. Vic, on the other hand, is back in her room. Her head CT showed that the bleeding has stopped and is shrinking slowly. Her labs came back improved, so we’re weaning her off the sedatives. She should wake up soon,” DeLuca tells them and Lucas can see the relief on Herrera’s face. He blinks, almost in disbelief and stares at DeLuca.

“She’s gonna wake up?” he asks in almost confusion. “C- ccan I- we see her?” he asks, almost not recognizing his own voice. DeLuca cracks a smile.

“Yes,” he says and Herrera flashes him a smile. It’s small and a little sad, but Lucas can see that she is relieved that Vic has improved and could wake up soon. And, for the first time in four days Lucas feels like he can finally breathe again.

* * *

By the time they get there, Vic had been extubated, so she only has a cannula in her nose and she seems less lifeless. While Herrera hovers in the doorway, fishing her phone out to call the others, Lucas rushes towards the bed. Vic’s still not awake, but her eyelids are fluttering slowly, a clear sign that she’s slowly waking up. He sits in the small chair where he had sat the past four days and takes her hand in his own, lacing their fingers together and pressing his lips to her wrist.

“Victoria,” he whispers softly. “Wake up, baby, wake up,” he coaxes, reaching out to stroke his finger along her jaw. “Please wake up. I know you’re in there. Toria, please. Wake up,” he pleads. And, then, there’s a soft groan and Vic’s beautiful brown eyes open slowly.

“Hey,” Herrera steps back in, having told the others Vic was waking up

“Ouch,” she rasps out and Andy immediately rushes towards the table, grabbing some water for her and handing it to Vic. “Thanks,” Vic says, handing Andy back the glass. “Wh- where’s Tanner?”

“He still hasn’t woken up,” Lucas explains, seeing Herrera had frozen. “He got hurt pretty badly-”

“He’s in a coma,” Herrera cuts him off, speaking for the first time since DeLuca had told them Vic was awake. “They had to take out his spleen and one kidney and had to perform surgery on his heart. He broke his leg, pelvis and shoulder. He had a large hematoma and he’s in a medically induced coma now. He might not wake up,” Herrera says and Lucas flinches upon hearing the extent of Tanner’s injuries.

“Oh, Andy, I’m so sorry. It- that car came out of nowhere and the shot…I’m so sorry,” Vic comforts. “C’mere,” she says, motioning for her friend.

“Vic, I don’t do hugs,” the lieutenant protests, but Vic just shakes her head.

“Herrera, I just came back from the dead. Come hug me!”

Lucas can only watch as the two friends hug each other and Herrera cries in Vic’s shoulder. There’s a noise outside the door and Lucas looks over to see that the entire Station 19 had assembled outside the hospital room. And, then, they all rush inside and all Lucas can do is stand back and watch as Vic’s teammates pour in, all of them rushing to hug her, catching her up, telling her how glad they are that she’s okay.

“You okay, man?” Sullivan asks from beside her.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Lucas replies, flashing Sullivan a quick half-smile. Sullivan quirks an eyebrow and doesn’t seem convinced.

* * *

The first thing she feels is pain. Pain everywhere. She sees DeLuca hovering beside her, and her fingers grip his hand.

“DeLukes,” she croaks weakly.

“Hughes? Vic? What hurts? Tell me what hurts?” DeLuca asks her desperately while probing and prodding at her abdomen.

“B- baby,” she croaks and DeLuca stares at her in confusion.

“What?”

“I’m… p- ppregnant,” she croaks out again and there’s further commotion once it registers with DeLuca. More doctors and nurses rush in, an OB to check on her baby, Ortho to take care of her leg, but it’s all a buzz to Vic as she grips DeLuca’s hand. And, then, she loses consciousness.

The second time she wakes, it’s to Lucas’ voice asking her – no, begging her – to wake up. It feels like her eyes are sewn shut, but when she finally manages to pry them open, she sees him and she’s shocked because he looks nothing like himself. He is a wreck. His blonde-grey hair is all tousled, and she swears it looks more grey than blonde. His beautiful, expressive blue eyes are dull, and puffy, and red, and swollen from all the tears he’d probably cried already. His beard isn’t well-groomed like it always is. He’s wearing a sweater and jeans that seem a bit large, and he looks like he’d lost a few ounces if not pounds. And, yet, when their eyes meet she can see the relief and love in his eyes and she feels warm all over, and safe, and _home_.

Andy gives her some water, and then, they’re talking about Tanner and Andy is crying, so Vic comforts her and Lucas just sort of sits back, just watching them. She must’ve been in the hospital for days if not weeks since the rest of the crew arrives later on, Andy having called them. It’s loud and they’re all hugging her, and throwing questions, and telling her how glad they are she’s alive. Of course, Travis cries and gets all emotional. Of course, Warren goes full-on surgeon on her. Of course, Bishop goes all coach on her, telling her that she’s gonna have to work hard to get back into shape and back to work. Of course, it’s all tears and laughter and _family_ and Vic wants to cry. As Travis and Maya embrace her, she can’t help but watch Lucas. Lucas is standing back, talking to Sullivan, holding himself so tightly, so still, fingers curled in fists. And, despite the fact that she’s thrilled – no, overjoyed – to be surrounded by her team, hugged and comforted and coddled by them, she wants him. She wants him to touch her, hold her, kiss her. But, he’s only sort of watching her, though he can’t quite meet her gaze anymore.

After a while, Dr. Bailey and Sullivan manage to clear the room and Lucas returns to his seat in the chair beside her bed, lacing his fingers with hers as several doctors assemble in her room. Dr. Bailey informs her that they’d had to remove her spleen because there was too much bleeding. Dr. Shepherd tells her that the minor bleed in her brain was slowly resolving by itself, but they would monitor closely. Dr. Altman tells her about how she’d suffered some pretty severe crush injuries, but they’d taken care of them. Dr. Lincoln – Link – from Ortho tells her he fixed her leg and it should be healing like it’s supposed to.

“Hey, DeLukes? H- how long have I been here?” she asks.

“Almost five days,” he says and Vic sees Lucas stiffen. She squeezes his hand.

And, then, a Dr. Carina DeLuca introduces herself as OB, which confuses Lucas and makes Vic feel sick.

“Unfortunately, I have bad news. We tried everything, but you were just 5 weeks and there was too much damage… I am so sorry, we tried everything,” Dr. DeLuca tells her and Vic feels tears spring in her eyes. She glances at Lucas and sees the confused expression her wears, and her heart breaks. Her heart quite literally breaks because she will have to be the one to tell him about the test from that morning and what Dr. DeLuca’s words actually mean. She refocuses on the doctors. “Again, I am so sorry, _bella_ ,” Dr. DeLuca says sympathetically before excusing herself. Dr. Shepherd scribbles in her chart and so does Link. Dr. Bailey and DeLuca check her vitals, and then they all leave. And, Vic and Lucas, for the first time in the past hour or so, are left alone.

“Victoria…”

“Lucas…”

And, then, he finally he meets her gaze and Vic sees all the raw emotion in his eyes. All the pain, and the heartbreak, and the fear, and the loss. She squeezes his hand gently and reaches over with her fingers to stroke his beard affectionately before skating her fingers along his jaw. A few tears fall from his eyes, and he closes them to blink them away. Vic wipes them away with her thumb and Lucas presses a chaste kiss to her index finger.

“Luke,” she whispers softly, cupping his face with both her hands, and forces him to meet her gaze. “Baby.”

“Y- yyou almost died,” he mutters.

“I know,” she replies as he rests his forehead against hers. “I’m okay now, though,” she whispers.

“I- I almost lost you,” he says, voice steadier this time. Vic sniffles. And, then, he brushes his lips against hers. Vic responds immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her as she deepens the kiss. The kiss is soft and tender, and his beard scratches her skin, and his lips are salty from the tears. But, it’s also Lucas and Vic’s heart swells with happiness and relief to be kissing him, so she just holds him – clings to him, really – and kisses him back. Unfortunately, the kiss doesn’t last as the beeping of the heart monitor quickens, causing them to spring apart from each other. Vic takes the opportunity to meet his gaze and decides to tell him.

“I need to tell you something,” she says before she can chicken out, still holding his hand, still clinging to him. Lucas’ gaze is open and honest and not at all judging, but Vic can feel the heaviness in the pit of her stomach. There’s a charged moment as Lucas’ expression becomes a little nervous and Vic scrambles for the words to use. “I was pregnant,” she blurts out and he pulls away slightly in shock. Vic feels a pang of hurt at the loss of physical contact. “That- that morning before the… uh… accident… I was- I took a test. Five tests just to be sure. They all came back positive and the doctor confirmed it just now… I was pregnant that morning, Luke,” she says, and she can feel the tears prickling at her eyes. Lucas is still in shock.

“What- uh, what Dr. DeLuca said about the five weeks and- she- you-” he can’t quite formulate a coherent sentence and there are more tears falling from his eyes. Vic starts to cry a little bit herself.

“C’mere,” she says softly motioning towards the bed. She scoots slightly with great effort to provide more space on the bed.

“Are you- are you sure?” he asks, and when she nods, he sits down on the bed and wraps his arms around her. She hugs him back, as tightly as she can and they cling to each other and cry. He smells good like he always does, and he’s warm and solid, and _there_ and Vic can’t do anything but cling to him and sob. She tucks her nose in the crook of his neck and takes a deep breath.

Vic’s not sure how long they stay like that, hugging each other and crying. Eventually, they both stop and just hold each other, Lucas gently caressing her hair and pressing kisses to her fingers, her lips, her cheek, her forehead.

“I love you,” he says softly, pulling away slightly so he can meet her gaze. His eyes are still red and puffy, but they’re also very blue and Vic could get lost in them. She cups his cheek fondly, rubbing her thumb against his beard.

“I love you, too, Luke,” she replies, and he smiles, the first smile he’d smiled in a long time and Vic wants to freeze this moment forever. They’re both in immeasurable pain, but they’re also together and Vic doesn’t want to be anywhere else than in his arms. He kisses the top of her head, then the tip of her nose, then brushes his lips against hers. She responds immediately, drawing him closer to her and deepening the kiss. He licks her lips and she parts them slightly and he slips his tongue into her mouth. The monitors go crazy, but neither of them care. The kiss starts slow and tender, but it soon becomes more intense, fervent, passionate. It’s pain and love all at once and they’re both breathless afterwards.

“I love you,” she says earnestly, out of breath, gazing deeply into his blue eyes.

“I love you, too, ‘Toria.”

* * *

It’s months later, after she’d gone through PT and stayed home to recover. As part of her recovery, the department requires her to go to the peer support meeting every week, and in particular before she fully returns to work. She’d been on desk duty for the past two months, but now the doctors had finally okayed her to return to active duty. Lucas is there with her, his blue eyes locked with her the whole time she speaks, and she can see that they’re slightly red-rimmed. She’s the last one to speak, and once she’s done, she mingles with the others. Two female firefighters tell her how they miscarried while on duty and some other people tell her about their near death experiences. She smiles and nods, touched by the stories of these people and she shares quick hugs with them. At the end of it, she joins Lucas, flashing him a quick smile.

“Hey,” she greets him, fingers brushing against the back of his hand.

“Hey, you,” he greets her, gazing at her fondly. “Ready to go home?”

“Yes,” she replies, lacing her fingers with his, ready to leave. He hesitates for a second, and Vic immediately touches his arm, looking at him in concern.

“Luke?” she asks softly, angling her body towards him. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you sure you want to return to work? Fully?” he asks her, looking at her nervously. Vic rolls her eyes.

“Yes, I’m sure. We’ve talked about this. I need to go back. Yes, I got hurt, but I also got better. I’m okay. Better than okay, I’m great and I’m ready. Look, I get that you’re worried, but I-”

“Have the ability to make decisions for yourself, I know,” he cuts her off with an eye roll. “I just… I’m just worried. I can’t- I won’t lose you again,” he says and his voice takes on that edgy quality it had at the hospital and when he spoke at the peer support meeting about almost losing her. She reaches out to cup his face and leans up to press a soft kiss to his lips. They’d grown much more comfortable with being affectionate at peer support meetings, than in front of her team, even if the people attending these meetings are also firefighters.

“Hey,” she says, cupping his cheek. “You didn’t lose me, though. I’m okay. Look, I know I put you through hell. I get that. But, I’m okay now. Better than okay. And, I know you’re worried, but I wanna go back to work. I love being a firefighter, you know that. Sitting behind a desk and doing paperwork is your thing,” she says, earning a chuckle form him at the end.

“You’re right,” he says, smiling. “Let’s go home,” he says, wrapping his arm around her waist as they walk out.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” she says as they walk to the parking lot. Lucas slants a glance in her direction, slowing his pace slightly. “Iwanttohavechildrenwithyou,” she blurts out, her words jumbled together. Lucas freezes, and stops, pulling her to face him.

“You’re going to have to say that again, sweetheart,” he says, blue eyes gazing deeply into her brown ones.

“I… uh… I was pregnant that day. And I lost it, which was horrible. I’ve never given much thought to children. For a long time, I was focused on figuring out what I wanted for a career. Then, I did and I’ve been working hard on being a firefighter for the past almost three years. And, then you and I… Before we got together, I hadn’t been in a relationship like this with anyone. But, then you- I want children with you, Luke. And, a dog. I want a future with you. I’m not scared to get pregnant or traumatized or anything. I was pregnant, and then I wasn’t. But, I want to be. With your kid. And maybe marry you. If you want-” She’s rambling, she knows. And, then, Lucas presses his lips to hers, cutting her off. Vic responds immediately, her arms going around his neck. She parts her lips slightly, and he delves his tongue into her mouth, his own hands going to the back of her neck, pulling off the hair elastic that held her hair together. Her hair cascades onto her shoulders and Lucas tangles his fingers in it. The only light is from a few streetlamps on the alley behind them, but the moon provides enough lighting. And, neither of them cares, really. They’re in love. Ridiculously, utterly, head over heels in love with each other. And, Vic had just sort of proposed. Or, at least she’d proposed having a future with him in her own rambling, unfiltered way that he finds adorable. Several seconds, if not minutes, pass before they pull away. They’re both breathless and panting, holding each other tightly, staring into each other’s eyes. Lucas doesn’t really say anything and Vic’s stomach is in knots.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, breathless and nervous at the same time. She’s not one to think before she says anything. She’d only really thought as far as having a kid with him. Or kids. The rest of it had sort of come out of her mouth. She swallows. “I wasn’t really thinking. I just want-”

“Victoria,” he cuts her off, cupping her face with his hands. “Don’t be sorry,” he says then, smiling at her softly. “I want that future with you, too. And, I’ve seen that future since the moment you told me you love me for the first time. Of course, I want kids with you. And, a dog. And, I want to marry you. I really want to marry you,” he says in earnest. The next thing he does makes her gasp and her eyes glassy with tears. He’s lowered himself on one knee and he’s holding a ring-size box in one hand, revealing a beautiful, white gold ring with a diamond-cut diamond at the center and two smaller diamonds on either side.

“Luke…” is all she manages to say, bringing one hand over her mouth. Lucas is looking up at her, in that open, and honest, and earnest way of his.

“Victoria,” he says softly, blue eyes shining. “I’ve been married twice before. And, when my second wife cheated on me, left me, and divorced me, I gave up on love. Until I met you. You yelled at me twice and you pulled me in. I think… I think that that’s when I first felt something for you. But, I really started seeing you when you apologized to me at the peer support meeting that first time. And, I think it’s fitting that I do this here cause we just left not even half an hour ago. I’ve been falling in love with you bit by bit ever since you first kissed me. I’d given up on love, and then you made me believe in it again. When you got hurt, it felt like my world had collapsed. Every time you go to work, my stomach is in knots. Every time there’s a big call, my heart feels like it might burst out of my chest. And, every time you come back to me or come home, I am so relieved. I love you. I wasn’t sure about doing this because it might be soon or… I don’t know. I want to build a life with you, Victoria. I want a house, and a dog, and kids, and a future. I want to wake up with you every morning. I want to kiss you before bed every night. I want to start and end my day with you. I want to wake up to the sounds of our children’s laughter. I want to watch you care for them because I think you’d be a great mom. I want to listen to you sing lullabies to our kids before bed. I want vacations, and camping trips, and dinners at home. I don’t really care how we go about building our life together as long as I’m with you. You are my world, Victoria. And, I love you. Will you marry me?” his eyes are glistening with tears and she can feel tears prickling at her own eyes. She’s so touched by his words she wants to cry. She nods earnestly, smiling at him through tears of joy.

“Yes, Lucas, yes! Yes, I will marry you!” she exclaims, laughter bubbling out of her chest as he fits the ring onto her finger and jumps up with great dexterity before wrapping his arms around her and embracing her. They’re hugging and laughing, arms wrapped tightly around each other, her face buried in the crook of his neck, his chin resting on her shoulder before pulling away. And, then, he’s kissing her and she’s kissing him back; intense, and passionate, and heated. They hear clapping in the background and he smiles at a crowd of people who had stopped to watch them as she hides her face in his chest.

Still keeping his arm around her and gazing at her fondly, he asks “shall we go home now?”

“Yes.” Her reply is immediate, and they share another soft kiss before walking to his car.

They’re in his car when he gazes at her fondly.

“What?” she asks curiously, slanting a glance at him.

“Thank you.” His reply is simple. Lucas isn’t really a man of words. He prefers actions over words, though he can easily work a crowd. Vic’s the talkative one, the one who rambles and says everything that goes through her head without really thinking about it.

“What for?” she asks, quirking one eyebrow.

“For not dying. For being in my life,” he explains, meeting her gaze. Vic smiles.

“And, you said I’m the romantic one,” she jokes with a smirk. “This was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. I love you, Luke,” she says honestly, squeezing his hand gently. He smiles.

“I love you, too.”


End file.
